PAPER SELECTED

Effects of toltrazuril and monensin in kids naturally infected with coccidiosis

Efficacy of toltrazuril (Baycox(R)) administered on two subsequent days and of long-term intake of feed medicated with monensin on the course of clinical coccidiosis and shedding of Eimeria spp. oocysts was compared in kids of the White Short-Haired breed aged 28 to 35 days. The 52 kids under study, divided into experimental and control subgroups, were born in a goat herd in which clinical coccidiosis was diagnosed on several occasions and intensive shedding of Eimeria spp, oocysts was demonstrated repeatedly. Oral treatment with toltrazuril (Baycox 2.5% sol. Bayer) at a dose of 10 mg per 1 kg live weight, administered individually on two subsequent days, markedly and rapidly reduced the number of oocysts in faecal samples collected from naturally infected kids (P < 0.01). A significant decrease in the number of oocysts in faecal samples was observed for a period of 3 weeks. While the pretreatment count of oocysts per gram (OPG) was 161 500, it decreased to 6 500, 22 400 and 58 100 one, two and three weeks after the treatment, respectively. Massive shedding of oocysts (OPG = 170 200) was found five weeks after the treatment. The medication of combined concentrates for naturally infected kids with 15 ppm monensin reduced significantly but did not stop the shedding of oocysts. OPG decreased from the pretreatment value of 50 500 to a half after 6 days. A highly significant (P < 0.01) decrease in OPG was observed from 30th day of administration of the medicated feed up to the end of this 70-day period, when OPG varied between 1 000 and 3 000. Oocysts of E. arloingi, E. ninakohlyakimovae and E. christenseni, respectively, accounted for 40.1%, 34.7% and 9.6% of all oocysts shed by individual kids of the group receiving the medicated feed